Don't Be Mad
by fallingforkeeps
Summary: A drabble* Caroline and Klaus are both intrigued by their new neighbors across the way. *jess has been horrid at updating and she is trying to atone for it.


***hides behind hands in shame***

**oh readers, i truly am so sorry that _wedding charades_ has not been updated, and so i come bearing a few drabbles. there are a few more after this one and i hope you enjoy them. i really am so very sorry i haven't updated. but life is insane and time/inspiration has just been hard to come by when it comes to that story. thank you for sticking with me though because i definitely plan on finishing it! i hope this somehow helps. **

**sidenote: if you like, listen to the song "don't be mad" by gina cimelli!**

**onward. **

**disclaimer: i do not own any of these characters**

**...**

_**Summer**_

The sun wasn't in agreement with Caroline's wish to stay in bad. It creeped in slowly and filled her home with light that couldn't be ignored anymore. She stretched lazily soaking in the light that demanded her attention. She could feel that it was going to be a hot day again, and she wrinkled her nose. The city sounds wafted in through her window and Caroline sat up, taking in her messy bedroom. She could hear her mom badgering her already, but she chose to ignore the nagging voice in the back of her head.

The sleepy blonde slid off her bed daintily, landing on the hardwood floor and stepping towards her window. Caroline furled her eyebrows when she noticed a stack of boxes in front of an open window across the way. That apartment was empty, no one lived there-

Her body hit the floor faster than she ever imagined it could when a tall, scruffy man walked up to the window and stacked another box onto the pile. It had never bothered her that she lived in a small apartment until this very moment where there was nowhere to hide. Caroline carefully leaned up onto a chair and lifted her head up to peer over the edge of her windowsill. She eyed the blonde stranger from the floor of her apartment, searching around for a shirt to cover herself with. It seemed that her days of leaving her curtains open where gone. Stefan's football jersey caught her eye and she pulled it on while sneaking glances at the now occupied apartment. Her new neighbor was certainly something to look at.

Strong build, messy blonde curls, large sturdy hands. Caroline brought herself up a little bit to continue her observations. He was sexy, certainly a view she wouldn't mind. When he disappeared from her line of sight, Caroline scurried over to her vanity, running her hands through her hair quickly and pulling it back into a ponytail. She readjusted the jersey, fussing with it so it would hang just right and pulled on a pair of shorts. She dabbed on some lipstick before sauntering past her window on her way to the kitchen. Caroline prepared her breakfast, appreciating the small corner of her home where the stranger couldn't see her. Occasionally though she would glance into the stranger's window, but it seemed he was done bringing boxes up.

She was bringing her food out to her dining table when she heard a ruckus and looked up to find a tall brunette gaping at her. She smiled shyly and could feel her face heating up. Caroline set her things down and waved at the other stranger, if an apartment of good looking men wanted to move in across the way she wasn't going to complain. The stranger from before appeared in the window frame and he looked annoyed with the brunette. Caroline giggled, but when his gaze turned to face her she froze.

His eyes pierced into hers and she shivered. A grin broke out on his face and he brought his hand up to wave. Caroline stood still, unsure of what to do with her body and the stranger smirked. The spell broke and she huffed. Seriously? He seemed so smug and sure of himself that Caroline couldn't stop herself from being irritated. She leaned forward, the strangers eyes lit up and he took a step closer to his window, and for the first time in months Caroline shut her curtains.

Klaus chuckled when the blonde across the way shut her curtains. She was a firecracker, he could tell the moment their eyes met. He wondered if that jersey belonged to a boyfriend and he couldn't help but imagine her in one of his paint splattered henleys.

"She looks like a tasty little thing"

His thoughts were interrupted and Klaus turned to glare his brother.

"Just stating the obvious, brother."

"Why don't you do something useful instead?"

Kol laughed and bent down to pick up the box he'd dropped and Klaus glanced curiously back at the closed curtains before taking the box away from Kol.

"Do try not to drop anymore of my things.

Fall

It smelled like cinnamon and apples. Caroline breathed in and a confused expression filled her face. She didn't have any candles with that scent. She could hear someone whistling and her eyes shot open. Very slowly she reached for the bat her mom had given her when she first moved to the city. Her hand was curving around the piece of wood when a voice broke through and Caroline jumped before letting out a sigh of relief.

"You're not supposed to use that key unless it's for an emergency Stefan! Jesus, you scared me!"

She through a pillow at her best friend and he laughed.

"I love you too Care"

She grumbled as she sat up in her bed and shot him a glare. Her senses were awakening and all the scents and noises her sleepy state hadn't caught wafted in. Coffee, vanilla, and was that bacon? She fought a smile and Stefan laughed again. His grin widened as he walked over to her and held his hand out to hers.

"I was asking if you wanted tea or coffee?"

"Coffee. Why are you so good to me Salvatore?"

She smiled softly and Stefan pulled her in for a hug.

"Happy birthday Care."

The door to her apartment swung open and a slim, olive skinned brunette stalked in.

"Is she up yet Stefan?" she yelled and Caroline's smile widened.

Katherine's eyes landed on the two friends hugging each other and she grinned.

"A much more insecure version of myself would be worried that you two are wrapped up in each other, but I'm not my sister so..."

"Kat!"

"Oh come on you know it's true. I on the other hand? I'm down for a threesome if you are Care."

Caroline blushed as Katherine waltzed towards them and she pulled away from Stefan's embrace. He was laughing and Katherine smirked as she stopped at the edge of Caroline's bed.

"Happy Birthday CareBear" she teased and tugged Caroline up to hug her.

"Thank you KittyKat!" Caroline breathed out, returning the hug and Katherine groaned.

"KittyKat?" Stefan asked and Caroline laughed, jumping off the bed and skipping away from her friends.

"I've never heard that nickname."

"You're lucky it's your birthday Caroline Be-." she let out and Stefan's eyes widened with fear. He stood up quickly, covering Katherine's mouth and Caroline whirled around to face them. Her eyes were narrowed at Stefan.

"You told her!"

"She can be really persuasive, you know? And I-"

Caroline's stern face broke and she laughed. Stefan furled his eyebrows and his hand dropped from Katherine's mouth and he tilted his head at his best friend who was bent over laughing.

Katherine giggled and Stefan turned his attention to her.

"How long have you two had that up your sleeves?"

"Oh about a year give or take, right Care?"

Caroline nodded, standing up and taking quick breaths to calm herself.

"So the whole time-"

"Already knew." Katherine stated and she grinned at Caroline.

"You should have seen your face..."

Caroline trailed off when something caught her eye and she turned to face her open window. He was watching her with an amused expression and Caroline was swept up in his gaze for a moment before laughing at herself and waving at her ridiculously handsome neighbor. She noticed that there didn't seem to be a disheveled woman making her way out of the apartment like there had been the entirety of the first two months he'd moved in, and this pleased her. It was something she chose to ignore as he raised the mug in his hand to acknowledge her greeting. Caroline grinned at him before turning find Katherine standing beside her, gawking at the man across the way.

"Is that the womanizing asshole neighbor that thinks the world revolves around him? Because if he is I am so glad you're over your little feud because damn-"

"You know I'm still here right?" Stefan huffed as he came up behind Katherine and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Caroline laughed nervously, tucking her hair behind her ears and glancing back at her neighbor who had a curious look on his face.

"Mhmm, yeah that would be him. I might have-"

"Jumped to ridiculous conclusions too early?" Stefan interrupted and Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Caroline? Jump to conclusions? Never." added Katherine in sly tone and Caroline huffed, turning back to enter her kitchen.

"Seriously? Tag-teaming against me on my birthday?"

The couple laughed and followed her into the kitchen, where Caroline was already eating a slice of bacon and inspecting the food that now filled her her tiny kitchen.

"How long were you in here before I woke up Stefan?"

"Enough time to make your favorite"

Caroline jumped and let out a yelp of joy, "You didn't!"

Her smile grew when Stefan stepped forward and opened her oven to reveal his special cinnamon rolls. She hugged him again, rambling on about how this was the best birthday morning ever and Katherine made a snarky comment about how it better be, because she didn't "wake up before noon" for many people.

The three quickly moved the food back out to what Stefan called "a sorry excuse for a dining room" and took their time eating breakfast. Soon, Caroline's phone started lighting up and she answered her birthday calls while Kat and Stefan cleaned up for her. After talking to her parents, Caroline looked out to the now empty window and smiled. Her neighbor sure was something. She hadn't opened her curtains for two weeks after he moved in.

Occasionally she would peek over, but all she got was glimpses of a man that seemed to have it all. Caroline had gotten tired of her home being drab and dreary, and finally decided that she would leave her curtains open if she damn well wanted to. Her neighbor had smiled when he walked into the room that faced her window and seen her reading a book at her table. When she had looked up at him, he'd stood there confused and Caroline could tell he was trying to find a way to apologize. She'd nodded at him softly and the turned to her paperback, sneaking back a glance at him to see that he'd received her answer.

She didn't quite understand how it was that she didn't even speak to managed to infuriate her so much. He had his redeeming moments, making her laugh with silly gestures and such. But he was so damn sure of himself, something which irked her and made her want to march over and knock him off the high horse he seemed to be on. There was also the never ending parade of women that used to flaunt around his apartment in the mornings. She had pushed down the jealousy, but Caroline couldn't help but to close her curtains whenever one of his companions made an appearance. But that hadn't happened in a while and Caroline wasn't sure what this was that they were doing.

They had a routine, both having brunch at the same time every Saturday. He would read the paper and she would read her books. They'd both glance at each other occasionally and smile, sometimes the glances would linger, and she would forget that they weren't in the same building. The brunette from that first day would make an appearance every once in a while and he made her laugh too. Attempting to toss paper airplanes to he from the other side of the alley. She always managed to find them littering the street when she took the back door out. There was another dark-haired man that would occasionally be present, Caroline had dubbed him The Suit because he never seemed to be dressed in anything else.

She speculated that they were brothers. Caroline was almost positive that there was a sister too, the pretty blonde that was pregnant, because Caroline highly doubted her neighbor was the fatherly type.

The past few months had been pleasant, and Caroline found herself growing fond of the handsome man from across the way, even if she wasn't ready to admit that quite yet. Katherine walked into the room area again, observing her best friend quietly and she smirked. There was something about that gorgeous neighbour of hers that had Caroline all flustered.

"Stop fantasizing about your sexy neighbour Caroline" she teased and Caroline blushed, turning away from the window.

"I'm not fantasizing!"

"Don't even try to lie to me Caroline. I know that look."

"Whatever, I don't have to listen to your absurd theories on MY birthday." Caroline blushed and moved away from the window, walking towards her closet. She could hear Stefan laughing in the kitchen and she rolled her eyes, pulling out a few things from her closet.

"I've got something for you to add to that closet Care." let out Katherine and Caroline twirled to face the know it all. She had moved to stand closer to Caroline, and she was dangling a large bag out to her. Caroline couldn't hold back her smile and Katherine wished her a happy birthday again as she passed the bag over to the blonde.

Caroline pulled out the fabric silently and let out a breath when the dress unfurled in her hands

"Is this-?"

"The first Caroline Forbes Original? Damn right it is."

"How did you?-"

"Stefan nicked your sketchbook and I made copies."

"Wow, I- I don't- thank you Kat."

"You're the mastermind here. And I fully expect the next Caroline Forbes Original to be mine."

Caroline smiled up at the brunette and she nodded. She looked back down at the dress and couldn't stop the thoughts of her neighbor twirling her around in it. It was after all, his little display of ballroom dancing a few weeks ago that had inspired this specific sketch. She blushed, turning away from Katherine when her thoughts turned to those of his hands removing said dress from her skin and-

"Are you even listening to me any more?" Katherine sighed and Caroline shook her head breaking out of her thoughts. She responded lightly to Kat and listened to her friend ramble on the plans for the day and desperately tried to forget about her neighbor.

It was late and Klaus was exhausted, his home was dark and quiet which was a contrast to his sister's loud and bright home. It had been quite the evening full of celebration, but all Klaus wanted to do was sit by his window and admire the view the lovely blonde across the way made. That was if she was there.

He dropped his things by the door and made his way to what had become his favorite place in his home. It was dark, but candles were flickering and he could make out a few shadows filling up the frame of her window. He stepped closer to the window pushing it open and squinting over at the room across from him curiously. Klaus caught the words they were singing and he smiled. It was her birthday. He leaned forward, searching for her features from the dim light of the candles that were currently lighting her home and he strained his ears for a name as the people continued to sing.

He almost missed it, but with the cool breeze of the wind her name reached his ears.

Caroline.

The candles were snuffed out and cheers followed. He swore he could hear her laugh among all the rest and when the lights in her home clicked on again she looked up at him, as if she could feel his presence there. Klaus smiled, saluting her with his hand and she grinned back at him before turning her attention back to the people surrounding her.

She was stunning.

And something about the way she had managed to capture his attention had his mind spinning. He was doing things for a woman he'd never spoken to that he hadn't been willing to do for a woman he'd known half his life. It had been a month and a half since her brought someone back to his bed, noticing the trend Caroline started of shutting herself away from him whenever he had female company over. She seemed quite repulsed by his usual smugness that he found himself rethinking his approach to woman all together.

She was certainly a breath of fresh air and Klaus was enjoying taking in everything he could.

_**Winter**_

The tea kettle was whistling loudly and Caroline stumbled into her kitchen looking like hell. Her hair was a mess, her face was flushed, and she burst into another coughing fit as she reached the stove.

The kettle was still whistling and she grumbled, glaring at the object that was adding to her discomfort. Being sick had not been what she had planned for the weekend and yet here she was, stuck in her apartment drugged up and miserable. She finished preparing herself a cup of tea, sighing as she took a sip and the hot liquid eased her sore throat. She walked back into her room and looked at the mountain of tissues that she'd created, she wished Kat and Stefan weren't visiting Damon in New York this weekend. They had called when they landed and Caroline was well into her fever induced delirium to be able to string together more than a few words.

Her room was beginning to suffocate her and Caroline wanted nothing more than to open up her window and let some air in. Unfortunately that would mean letting in snow as well. She settled for at least pulling the curtains aside and letting in some light. It was brighter than she thought it would be and she squinted into the light, allowing her eyes to adjust. Caroline frowned when she found the window across from dark and empty.

She wondered what he was doing right now and if he would be home anytime soon. He definitely had a way of making her feel happy and she could use some of that right now. Caroline climbed back into bed and let her mind wander over the past few months in which she'd gotten to know her neighbor quite well, given that they hadn't spoken to each other for the first four months he'd lived there.

He'd surprised her the day after her birthday, popping his head out in the fall breeze and projecting his voice out into the space between them. "Happy Birthday Caroline" he'd said and she had been startled from her reading when the British accent reached her ears. Caroline had been surprised that he had been the one to initiate something. Even more surprised he knew her name.

"Have you been stalking me?" she had replied and his deep laugh made her feel warm and giddy. He gestured to the space between their windows and explained that her friends hadn't been the quietest last night, causing her to blush and blurt out apologies he insisted weren't necessary. His name was Klaus, short for Niklaus, but She liked to call him Nik, something which he didn't actually know and she feared would slip out one day. He had just moved to Chicago from New Orleans and he was an art curator for his own gallery. She had been surprised by it, but soon came to know that it made sense that he was in the art business.

Ever since that day they began small little conversations through windows, teasing each other with games of charades, and sharing music as loudly as they could without bothering the neighbors. When the holidays arrived, he had left her a gift and she couldn't stop smiling for a week. She hung up the painting he'd made for her above her bookshelf so she could see it from anywhere in the room. And when she saw him wearing the atrocity of a sweater she had knitted for him, she had laughed for hours. She still couldn't even believe she had made the thing, much less that he would actually wear it, but the challenge to prove that she was capable of knitting had been set and Caroline wasn't one to back down.

They had built a solid friendship and Caroline was hoping that it would move beyond the confines of each other's homes. She was beginning to drift off into her dreams when someone knocked on her door. She groaned and looked over at the door, with annoyance. Didn't people have the common decency to leave others alone? The knocking resumed and she slowly trudged of her bed, only to freeze when an urgent voice spoke.

"Just open the bloody door, I'm telling you something is wrong! I haven't seen or heard from her in days and-"

Caroline opened her door as fast as her body would allow her and there he was. Annoyed and frustrated at her landlord, and worried about her?

"Nik?" she croaked out and relief filled his face for a moment before he took in her sick appearance. He tried to step forward but Meredith stopped him.

"This one claims he knows you."

Caroline was trying her best to make sense of what was happening, because clearly she was losing her mind. He wasn't standing in front of her worried out of his mind because for her.

"Caroline?" Meredith asked, and now she seemed concerned for her. Caroline shook her head and looked over at her nodding slowly.

"Yeah, yeah. I know him, he's a... a friend." she replied hoarsely and Meredith let Klaus cross through her door. He quickly looked over her, before picking her up and turning back to thank Meredith. He was warm and strong, Caroline snuggled into his embrace ignoring everything else. She vaguely heard the door shut and could feel him surveying the state of her apartment, but she was too tired to say anything.

She whimpered at the loss of his warmth when he carefully placed her back on her bed. Caroline watched him silently as he began cleaning up the area surrounding her bed.

This wasn't happening right now. She was dreaming.

But then he spoke. "Have you eaten love? When was the last time you took some medicine? Have you checked your temperature?"

And suddenly Caroline realized that this was really happening. Nik was inside of her apartment. He was worried about her. He'd walked over and convinced Meredith to come and check on her. He was cleaning up her room, and asking about her well-being. He was still asking her questions and Caroline didn't know how to answer any of them.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting up slowly and clearing her throat. She watched Klaus continue to clean up, a wave of dizziness hit her and Caroline shut her eye. She could hear him moving around her apartment and she was still trying to grab ahold to this reality, but he wouldn't stop moving and her ears were ringing. He was saying something, but she couldn't quite understand him. Caroline opened her eyes and he was still moving around, every step he took was amplified in her ears and his movements were blurry and hazy.

"Could you, could you-" she breathed out, closing her eyes again, trying to stop the dizziness. Her bed shifted and when her eyes opened again they were met with his. They were blue, with light flecks of green and they were beautiful. He blushed and Caroline realized she had said that out loud. They sat there, and she let out slow breaths, the world had stopped spinning and she was focusing on him to calm down. He smiled softly at her and reached out to cup her face.

"It's all right, I've got you."

Klaus came home in an exceptionally great mood. He had successfully acquired a new artist for his gallery event and nothing could-

Her curtains were shut. Why the bloody hell where her curtains still shut? It had been two days since he'd seen her face, the longest amount of time without talking to each other since they'd begun speaking to each other. And Klaus couldn't think of any reason as to why Caroline had shut him out. Dread had been building up in the pit of his stomach and it was back full force now. She had not looked annoyed nor angry over their last conversation. She had not mentioned any trips, or plans for this week. Klaus had wondered if perhaps she had a man over, something that had filled him with jealousy he didn't know what to do with. But when he had watched her window for hours there weren't any signs of movement. He hated not seeing her face, hearing her voice, he hated the color of her damn curtains. And currently the thought that something might have happened to her was driving him mad.

He paced in front of his window for the third day in a row, glancing at Caroline's apartment every few seconds to see if anything had changed. But the curtains never moved and the lights were still off. The dread was making him sick, and not even work had been able to take his mind of the blonde across the way.

Four days, thirteen hours, and 46 minutes, not that he was counting. That was it. He was frazzled and anxious the whole 5 minutes it took to walk over to her building and when her landlord refused to let him up, Klaus nearly punched something.

She was alive, thank God. He was anxious to step in but the insufferable landlord was still in his way. Caroline looked like hell, her hair was chaotic and stuck to her flushed face. She looked like she was going to pass out and the landlord still hadn't moved. Caroline assured the brunette that she knew him though and he was able to cross into her home. He picked her up, afraid that she would actually fall and hurt herself, holding her close to him as he stood in her home. It was different than what he imagined it would look like, yet it was still her. Klaus smiled softly, taking in everything that made up her life in this place.

She snuggled into his arms and Klaus looked down to see her relaxing into him. He liked the feel of her in his arms, the way she curved into him and made him feel warm. He had to stop himself from leaning down to kiss her and instead tucked her into bed.

She was overwhelming, and Klaus turned away putting himself to the task of cleaning up the place. He was trying his best to not panic at the actions he had taken to make sure she wasn't injured or worse. He was inside of her home and she was okay, as much as anyone could be whilst having the flu. Klaus concentrated on what he was doing, still managing to take in everything in the small room he had only gotten a glimpse of. He asked her a few questions, pushing his mind to think about what she needed and still ignoring the range of emotions he was feeling.

She mumbled something out to him, but Klaus froze when he saw his painting. In the center of the room, up for everyone to see. She had made him a piece of her home, Klaus turned to face her but her eyes were closed. She was breathing quickly and he strode over to her bed. She had made him a part of her home. This beautiful, confusing, wonderful person had seen beyond all the flaws everyone noticed and made him a part of her home. His heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest, and Klaus accepted the feelings the woman in front of him gave him.

He sat down and she opened her eyes, making him blush when she breathed out that his eyes were beautiful. He looked into her eyes and he knew that he wanted to look into them for the rest of his life. Something he never expected he wanted to do, but she had changed all of that with her laugh and her light. WIth the way she brushed her hair back and was stubborn as hell. She changed it everything and she had done it before he had been willing to admit it. Klaus leaned in to her and said the only thing he could grab a hold of at the moment.

"It's all right, I've got you."

She nodded softly at him, and Klaus thought that it was the other way around as he watched her fall asleep. She had him.

_**Spring**_

Caroline was weaving her hair slowly into a braid, looking into the mirror and smiling as she finished up the tail of her braid. She stood, smoothing out the skirt of her dress and twirling quickly. A giggle escaped her mouth and she breathed in, looking around her home and grinning widely when she turned to her window and saw Nik watching her.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked, walking towards the window and projecting her voice out to him. He smirked, raising his eyebrows and trailing his eyes over her frame.

"Long enough love."

She shivered and Klaus chuckled. He tilted his head to the outside and Caroline nodded, she turned to grab a few things and walked out of her apartment as quickly as she could. The staircase was empty and her humming echoed off the walls as she made her way down. She smiled at Meredith in her office on her way out of her building and the brunnette smirked at her.

The sun felt amazing on her skin and she smiled when she saw him walking towards her. They met each other in the middle, the alleyway separating their homes feeling insignificant as they stood before each other. She smiled up at him, balancing on her feet and he smiled back. He extended his hand out to her and she slipped her hand into his and grinning as their hands wrapped around each other.

"Did I leave my sketchbook at your place again?" she asked quietly and he chuckled. The were walking slowly and Klaus stopped to turn and face her. He reached for her other hand and brought them up to his lips. His eyes were twinkling and he nodded.

"I have something for you." he breathed out and Caroline's breath caught.

"Yeah?"

He nodded again, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a delicate chain with a key on it. He placed it around her neck and smiled at her, brushing her hair back.

"I want to respect your decision to take this slowly, but I want you to know that I'm serious about this. And I'm not going to change my mind. So whenever you're ready to use this key, you are free to do so."

She bit her lip, nodding and playing with the key he'd given her. He was letting her know that he wasn't going anywhere and Caroline smiled up at him, tugging on the collar of his shirt to bring his lips down to meet hers. They moved closer and Klaus brought his hands up to cup her face softly. It was a slow and delicate, their breaths mingling together and both of them smiling into each other's touch.

_**Summer**_

Klaus glanced up from his book and glanced over at Caroline's window. He looked at his watch again, furling his eyebrows. She should have been home ten minutes ago, but maybe something had come up at work

The sound of a key turning caught his attention and he turned to face his door, it opened slowly and Klaus held his breath. She walked in and called his name out, but Klaus was on his feet moving rapidly over to her and cutting her off with a kiss. He picked her up, smiling as they kissed, her legs wrapping around his waist.

"Hi." she let out, pulling away from the kiss and calming her breathing. "I'm home"

"You're home."

**AN: AGAIN. I REALL AM SO SORRY. AND I LOVE YOU ALL. AND THANK YOU FOR EBEING AWESOME READERS. **


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